Where The Wild Things Are
by Kittenshift17
Summary: Sent on a mission to Uilebheist Fearann, Hermione has to track down the hybrid in her case-file. When she arrives, things go sideways and she finds getting her there was a ruse so that the last Beast she failed to kill can take another shot at holding her captive. Fenrir Greyback has waited a long time to get his witch right where he wants her; he's not letting her get away again.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Another new story, I know! LOL. I don't care if you're mad about it. This Fenmione wouldn't leave me alone and had to be share.**

 **Hope you like it.**

 **xx-Kitten.**

* * *

 **Where The Wild Things Are**

 _By Kittenshift17_

* * *

 **Chapter One**

* * *

"I beg your pardon, sir?" Hermione Granger asked, blinking in confusion. She felt certain she must've heard him wrong. Head of the Department for the Control of Magical Creatures office, Aibek Skasgard, would never have made such a request of her.

"Did you mishear me, Miss Granger?" Skasgard asked, raising one dark eyebrow and making Hermione rather nervous.

"I… It sounded like you just asked me to lead an expedition into _Uilebheist Fearann_ , sir," Hermione said, frowning at him.

"And you are fearful of doing so?" he asked, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his desk and steepling his fingers together. He surveyed her over the top of them, his dark hazel eyes fixed on her as though she intrigued him.

"No, sir," Hermione said. "It's not that. I'm just… surprised. I thought you were still insistent on having me focus my research on the uses of Puffeskin saliva in skin-care products, sir."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly having forgotten giving her such a ridiculous assignment.

"Leave that to the cosmetic companies, eh?" he asked. "I need someone competent leading this team."

"What exactly am I looking for in _Uilebheist Fearann_ , Mr Skasgard?" Hermione wanted to know. "I was under the impression that even those among our department were banned from entering that land."

"Monster land," he chuckled, shaking his head. "It is a… hostile place, Miss Granger. And the last stronghold of truly _wild_ creatures. The expedition will be that you and a select group will enter _Uilebheist Fearann_ and investigate claims of the creature listed in this file."

He handed over a case file to her and Hermione opened it, frowning as she scanned the contents.

"This claims that some kind of hybrid beast has been spotted bearing resemblance to Orthros, were it to have bred with a dragon. You want me to investigate a hybrid creature supposedly born of a dragon and a two-headed dog, sir?"

"Your specialties are lycanthropy and dragonology, are they not?" Skasgard asked, looking less than pleased by her skeptical and rather scornful tone.

"Well… yes, sir," Hermione sighed.

"And were a fire-breathing, dual-headed canine to be on the loose in Monster Land, you would be the most equipped person to investigate the claim, and handle the problem, would you not?" Skagard went on.

"I'm not declining the assignment, Skasgard," Hermione replied huffily, not at all liking her boss's tone.

She'd never quite liked him, if she was being honest. There was something about him that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She didn't entirely trust him, and she wasn't overly fond of his habit of checking up on her more than was decent. Not that he wasn't handsome and charming and even downright attractive. He'd starred in more than one of her raunchier dreams, but she still didn't entirely like him.

"You simply doubt it's merit," he put forward, leaning back and crossing his arms over his broad chest, frowning at her.

"Yes, sir," she admitted. "I doubt it's merit, and I doubt that the risks of entering _Uilebheist Fearann_ are warranted to investigate it. Moreover, if it truly does exist, the size of the team I would need in to order to subdue such a beast would be astronomical. And no team of that size would be able to effectively infiltrate such a hostile and monster-filled habitat without sustaining casualties and without driving many of the beasts we might seek to study, into hiding."

"You doubt you could achieve this with five armed guards?" he confirmed.

"Five?" Hermione scoffed. "If this beast is a hybrid of a two-headed dog and a dragon it'll be as big as a house. You think five wizards would take down a fire-breathing beast of that size?"

"Five wizards plus you, Miss Granger. Do not do yourself the disservice of thinking you are incapable within the field," Skasgard pointed out.

Hermione's days of blossoming under such praise were behind her.

"The last time I was in the field, three men died and I was savaged and left for dead, Skasgard," she reminded him in a cold voice.

"And you have been running scared ever since!" Skasgard growled at her. "I will not allow you to waste your potential looking into the uses of Puffeskin saliva, Granger!"

"And you think it will be better spent sending me off to where all the wild things are and just unleashing me upon them?" Hermioned hotly. "Three men _died_ , Skasgard. They were bloody well eaten by that Vipertooth, and you know it! What? Our department hasn't lost enough. You think we can stand to lose five more? This thing can breathe fire from two different heads, sir. If it's a hybrid of those two species, as claimed, it might very well be fire resistant, spell-reflective, and utterly savage. Add to that the fact that the entire area is crawling with all the dangerous creatures the Ministry didn't know what to do with, all of them loose and probably hungry, stuffed together in too small an area to be healthy. You think there won't be a hundred and one things in those lands ready to eat the lot of us?"

"I think that we have our orders and must follow them, Granger," Skasgard growled in retort. "This case landed on my desk when the Unspeakables got wind of it. They want to study the beast, and they want you to be the one to capture it and to assist them in their research. Before your last attempt at field work, you'd proved yourself beyond capable, and a reliable source of information to properly document the habits of magical creatures in their habitats. What happened to Wilkins, Strickland, and Burns was unfortunate, by they were all capable dragonologists and they all knew the risks when they went hunting for a Vipertooth. This assignment is yours and you _will_ carry it out, or you will forfeit your position with the DRCMC."

'You'll fire me if I don't take the case?" she demanded.

"Not me," he shrugged. "You know the Unspeakables will go right to the Minister, and I don't believe he's currently very fond of you, is he?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes, looking away as her cheeks turned red. No, Kingsley Shackelbolt currently wasn't very pleased with her. Not that he could be entirely blamed. She _had_ made a commitment to him, and she _had_ broken his trust. It had been an accident, and it had been a mistake, but nonetheless the man no longer professed his love across the pillows to her and had banned her from his bed.

She would get no help from him, she knew. And with Skasgard the head of her department and the Unspeakables involved, it seemed any other help from anyone she might know within the Ministry would fall short of getting her out of this assignment. Not even Harry would be able to sweet talk Kingsley into forgiving her after what she'd done. Scratching frustratedly at the old scar on the side of her neck that she was sure was the reason for her raging libido at the blood moon a few months ago that had caused her to make the mistake Kingsley couldn't forgive, Hermione stared at her boss.

"I have no choice, in other words," she snapped, annoyed with his handsome face as he continued to regard her.

"None, I'm afraid," he shook his head.

"When do you need me to leave?" she asked, closing the case-file and accepting her fate without further argument.

"Tomorrow at first light," he said. "I've hand-picked your team, and I will notify them of the departure time."

"Very well," Hermione sighed, getting to her feet. "I will meet them here and we will set-out. Thank you for the assignment, sir."

"Don't let me down, Granger," Skasgard said, rising as well and offering his hand to her to shake. "Forget what happened last time. Just focus on your mission this time. And _if_ you were able to capture live specimens of any of the other creatures inhabiting _Uilebheist Fearann_ , I wouldn't object to having them brought back here for our studies, you understand?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes on the man as she shook his hand, knowing from that sly look in his eyes that his intent to send her had _everything_ to do with her habit of capturing as many specimens for study as possible, and absolutely nothing to do with Unspeakables, the Minister, or her requirement to complete a certain amount of field hours every year to keep her license as a DRCMC Extractification witch. He just wanted a peek into whatever else might be inhabiting _Uilebheist Fearann_ that the Ministry considered to be too dangerous to study.

"Yes, sir," she muttered, before turning away and leaving the office.

When she was gone, Aibek Skasgard leaned over his desk, fishing a small slip of parchment from the desk drawer and loading his quill with ink. He scribbled out a quick note, being sure to date the top corner of the letter, knowing the owl might take a while to penetrate the wards surrounding Monster Land in order to get word to the inhabitant there that he most urgently needed to contact.

 ** _She leaves at first light._**

 _ **-A.S.**_

He tied the scroll tightly to the ankle of a Great Grey Owl the Ministry had loaned him for the purpose of contacting his agents when they were in the field. This one had been his companion for many years now, and as he stared at the bird, he let the wicked gleam in his unnaturally bright eyes shine through.

"You know where to go," he told the bird.

The owl hooted in response before swooping out the window and disappearing into the late afternoon.

"Thank bloody Merlin," he muttered when the owl was gone, flicking his wand to lock the door to his office before pouring himself a generous glass of fire-whiskey and thinking to himself that in short order, everything would finally be alright. Granger hadn't even put up much of a fight. Good. That was good. And he'd caught the way she scratched at her bite. She was primed and ready to fall now. All they had to do was wait.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: *Skulks by, dropping the chapter in your picnic basket***

 ***Leaves a trail of hot werewolf photos in her wake***

 **xx-Kitten.**

* * *

 **Where The Wild Things Are**

 _By Kittenshift17_

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

* * *

Hermione packed lightly for the trip, intending to stay no longer than a week in _Uilebheist Fearann_. If she hadn't captured the hybrid she'd been sent after within one week, she was out of there, position with the Ministry be damned. Well-armed with her wand, and number of specimen cages, enough medical supplies to heal a small army, and enough weapons and food to keep her and the five men travelling with her alive, Hermione was prepared for anything, and she was determined that no matter what, all six of them would be making it out of there alive.

There would be no repeats of last time's mistakes.

When dawn broke, Hermione apparated to the Ministry, hurrying with her pack as she made her way into the office. Inside, five men were already waiting, and Hermione frowned, not recognizing a single one of them. When she spotted Skasgard handing out extra cages and extra supplies, she hurried over to him.

"What is this?" she demanded. "Your sending green recruits with me? Who the hell are these guys Aibek?"

She hadn't had her coffee yet and she was in no mood for being polite to others, even if this man did happen to be her boss.

"They're not DRCMC," he informed her. "These guys are special forces, a sub-division of the MLE specializing in magical creatures."

Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"I've never heard of them," she sniffed.

"And you never will again," Skasgard smirked. "Top secret, these lads are. Keeps people from thinking they can aim for their job. These guys are hand-picked, and they're the best for the position. They'll get you into Monster Land and keep you safe for as long as you're there. Just… play nice with them, Granger. They're there to protect you, so let them do their job, alright?"

"If any one of them gets in my way when I'm trying to capture specimens, I reserve the right to hex them," Hermione snapped, not at all liking the idea of venturing into the wilderness with five men she didn't know.

It fleetingly crossed her mind that they might all be monsters who'd brutalise her, but she pushed the thought out of her head. The Ministry wouldn't hire rapists, she was sure.

"I'm sure they'll be happy to defer to your command," Skasgard said, smirking just a little and shooting a wink at one of the men, who gave a low and gravelly sort of chuckle as though they shared a private joke.

Hermione didn't like that either, but she chose not to say anything.

"One week," she warned Skasgard. "I'll be gone one week and if I haven't found any evidence of this ridiculous hybrid in that time, I'm leaving _Uilebhesit Fearann_ and then I'm coming right back here and taking your job, Skasgard. Got it?"

"Sure, Granger," he said, rolling his eyes.

Hermione bared her teeth at him in frustration and she blinked in surprised when he returned the gesture, baring his teeth at her like a mongrel and surprising her with the display.

"Right," he snarled, narrowing his eyes on her in annoyance as though she was to blame for his undignified actions. "You lot, move out. You have your orders and you will follow them. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir," the five men replied simultaneously.

Hermione didn't like that either.

"Good. Then get lost. And Granger?" Skasgard asked when one of the men moved over and put a hand on her shoulder, apparently intending to apparate her to Monster Land himself.

"Yes?" Hermione asked.

Skasgard grinned in a way that made every hair on her body stand on end with sudden paranoia.

"Have fun, _gaelai_ ," he said just before an uncomfortable jerk behind her navel signaled the apparation had begun and she was sucked away and into the last primitive, monster filled hell-hole known to wizarding Britain.

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

When they landed Hermione stumbled, feeling like she'd been sucked through a vacuum and spat at with all of her bits in the wrong order.

"Alright there, Granger?" the man who'd apparated her asked.

"I… yes," Hermione said, shoving a fistful of her curls out of her face and scrambling onto her feet. "Right. You lot. Names, please? Or am I to give you numbers for the length of this expedition?"

They all shared a loaded glance and Hermione didn't like it one bit.

"Frankston, Strand, Bellby, Fortknock, and Hallgath," the one who'd apparated her said, pointing at the others of the group in turn, before pointing to himself last.

"Right," Hermione muttered, shaking her head at their provision of only their surnames. "Well, I'm Hermione Granger."

"We know," that said simultaneously, and Hermione started to feel just a little bit nervous.

"Come on," Hallgath said. "We're burning daylight and we've got a lot of ground to cover before we're even remotely near the site of the last hybrid sighting."

Hermione nodded, turning to face the thickly treed forest before them and realising the shimmer in the air wasn't a trick of the early morning light, but was actually the wards protecting this part of the world and ensuring that none who ventured too close could cross it without assistance.

"You'll need to be escorted across, Granger," Hallgath told her, circling around behind her and putting his hands on the tops of her shoulders. "Walk, witch."

Hermione didn't like how bossy he was being when she was supposed to be the one leading the mission. But she'd never been to _Uilebheist_ before, and these men clearly had, so for now she would defer to their skill.

"We can just step right through?" she asked, frowning and peering over her shoulder at the man.

She noticed idly that he had a rather fierce visage, his face bearing a nasty-looking scar that ran across his right cheek and down his neck. It looked like claw-marks. His eyes were unnaturally bright too, a rich shade of hazel green and Hermione felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach when it occurred to her that Hallgath was a werewolf.

Were they all werewolves?

Why would Skasgard send her on a trip with a fully lycanthropic team? Why did the Ministry even have a lycanthropic team of any kind? Her research during her years of study with the DRCMC had taught her that while most of the text books had their facts about werewolves wrong, it was undeniable that one fact was correct. And that fact was that when more than three werewolves were in the same vicinity, they would immediately build a pack hierarchy, no matter their personal distaste for one another. It was the nature of the wolf to seek out a hierarchy and to band together. Being trapped alone in the wilderness with five of them was not a comforting thought.

"There are wards that will prevent you from stepping through unless I escort you," Hallgath replied evenly, confirming to Hermione that he was a magical creature and not purely a wizard.

"How peculiar," Hermione said, wondering if these men had heard about how clever she was, and whether she might be able to fool them into thinking her silly.

It would play to her advantage if she could. She needed to get away from them immediately, but showing fear or seeming untrusting would be very unwise. Especially since Hallgath currently had hold of her.

"It's all in the training, Granger," Frankston piped up, and Hermione traced her eyes over him, noting the flash of a claw-mark scar on the back of his left forearm and the wiry quality of the muscle moving under his skin.

Yes, she realized. He was a werewolf, too.

They all were. That much was clear as she traced her eyes over each man in turned, watching the way – when they reached the barrier of the wards protecting the patch of the world deemed Monster Land – each and every one of them shuddered and gritted their teeth as though crossing was painful.

"Will it hurt to cross?" Hermione asked, looking over her shoulder at Hallgath once more when the other four men had gone ahead of them.

"A bit," he nodded. "Feels a bit like being zapped with a Stunning spell, but not so sharp as the Curciatus."

Hermione nodded, biting her lip and wondering if he knew his answers were giving more and more away about his background. She hadn't become third in line for the DRCMC leadership role by being foolish, and she hadn't passed Auror training alongside Harry and Ron by being unobservant.

"Been here many times, have you, Hallgath?" Hermione asked of the wizard when he pushed her none-too-gently toward the barrier, apparently intent on shoving her through without letting go of her. She wondered what might happen to her if she tried to cross without being touched by a magical creature.

"It's like a second home," Hallgath said, and Hermione noticed that the other four all turned and smirked in their direction for the statement.

Oh, that didn't bode well. Hermione had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that these men weren't affiliated with the Ministry at all and she wondered if Skasgard knew just what sort of men he had sent her off with. She was distracted by the pain of crossing the wards, her legs trembling and every cell in her body screaming in protest. When she'd been pushed all the way through – Hallgath having to bodily shove her along to keep her moving when her knees almost gave out – Hermione fell to the ground, panting and trying to catch her breath and to think straight again.

She didn't like being so vulnerable, and she didn't like knowing that, unlike her, the five werewolves escorting her were not so badly affected as she was. Scratching viciously at the scar on the side of her neck which, she was sure, had led to her insatiable curiosity about the lycanthrope condition in the first place and might very well have gotten her into this mess, Hermione realized that not only was she was in the most hostile place on Earth, but she was also surrounded by men who could turn into savage beasts every full moon, and she was in their midst because her supervisor had shipped her off to the middle of nowhere with them. She was essentially alone, she realized.

Skasgard was either an idiot – which she very much doubted – or he was in league with these wolves. And she was thinking that whoever he answered to was someone she did _not_ want to tangle with.

"You alright there, Miss?" the werewolf who'd been introduced as Bellby asked, reaching down and putting a heavy hand on her shoulder.

Hermione could feel the prickle of claws tipping his fingers and she panted, keeping her head hanging low for a minute and feigning a weakness that was rapidly receding.

"I wasn't… expecting… it to hurt… quite so much," she panted, aware that she was milking it, but desperately needing a minute to think.

"Aye, it's a bit of a sting the first time you cross-over, I'll grant," Bellby said, and Hermione's skin crawled when he traced what he must think was a comforting circle over her back. "Let's get you back on your feet, eh, Miss? Don't want to be looking weak and vulnerable on the ground in a place like this. You never know what kind of hungry critter is watching and licking his chops."

"I just need a minute," Hermione said, nodding. "I think my knees have turned to pudding."

Hallgath chuckled and Hermione heard more than saw the way Frnakston leaned over to Hallgath and whispered in his ear.

"Are you sure this is the one the boss said was his?" Frankston whispered. "She shouldn't be this weak."

Hermione dragged herself to her feet, letting Bellby assist her as much as he liked and noticing that for all that he'd been trying to help her, he kept his hands in only the most appropriate of places on her person to help her up.

"Thank you, Bellby," Hermione said, smiling kindly at the man and noticing that he wasn't even trying to hide the traits that gave him away for a werewolf. His eyes glittered a shade of greenish-yellow that was unnatural in humans or even wizards, and his hands were still tipped with claws that tapered to long, sharp points.

"No worries, Miss," Bellby grinned and Hermione realized suddenly that he was very young, perhaps only in his late teens or early twenties. No more than twenty-one, at most. "S'our job to see that you're looked after, eh?"

Unfortunately for him, it would be his undoing

"That's very kind of you, Bellby," Hermione said, pulling her want from the sleeve of her cloak whilst still leaning against him just a little, one hand clutching his upper arm. She continued to smile, dazzling the young werewolf it seemed, because he didn't see the blast coming when Hermione dug her wand tip into his chest.

" _Protego Maxima_!" she murmured, still smiling even as the shielding spell generated a wave of violent magic that forced all five werewolves away from her, sending them flying through the air one way while she was blasted back in the opposite direction.

She stumbled just a bit when she landed, twisting her ankle, but Hermione didn't let that stop her before she Disapparated with a sharp crack, thinking only of getting as far from these werewolves as possible.


End file.
